Haleh Ali Abedi
Executive Assistant & Marine Mammal Researcher

Despite all the challenges female scientists face to build a career in marine biology, nothing could prevent Haleh to explore the stunning marine biodiversity of the Persian seas.  In 2012, Haleh received a bachelor's degree in fisheries. But her love for studying and safeguarding marine creatures led her to shift more to conservation biology.  While Haleh embraces marine biodiversity as a whole, her special interest in marine mammals is incomparable. As a result, she completed a master’s degree in marine biology, and for her thesis, she studied bioecological parameters of nearshore small cetaceans across coastal waters of the Qeshm Island complex (i.e., Qeshm, Hengam, Larak, and Hormuz islands), at the Strait of Hormuz (2013-2015). In early 2022, Haleh joined QECI as an executive assistant, selected from nearly 100 outstanding applicants, firmly recommended by QECI advisor Dr. Koen Van Waerebeek, for her outstanding fieldwork. Although as an early career scientist, she is still on a learning curve, her ambition and hard-working ethos help QECI in its mission to sustain the marine biodiversity of the Persian Gulf. Haleh not only responsibly assists QECI with its official affairs, but she also enthusiastically works to build a career as an outstanding marine biologist and conservationist, primarily focusing on marine mammals but also involved in other marine conservation projects.